The first co-operative society in Britain was set up in Portsmouth in 1796 by dockyard workers fed up with being ripped off by tradesmen
Portsmouth is known for...
Portsmouth is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Located mainly on Portsea Island, 70 miles (110 km) south-west of London and 19 miles (31 km) south-east of Southampton, it is the United Kingdom’s only island city.
The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Southampton and the towns of Havant, Waterlooville, Eastleigh, Fareham, and Gosport.
Portsmouth is a coastal town, and its dependence on shipping meant that the principal focus of this college was the training of engineers and dock workers.
As the city developed after the Second World War, maritime industry became less prominent in the area and the college diversified. It was renamed Portsmouth Polytechnic in the 1960s, and grew to be one of the biggest such institutions in the country.